Desk



Patented `lune 6, 1950 DESK Harry J. Robb, New Philadelphia, Ohio Application December 16, 1946, Serial No. 716,473

(Cl. i5-70) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to desks, and more particularly to students study desks of a type especially suited for simultaneous use by two students in dormitory or other students study rooms.

The desk of the present invention has been evolved from practical experience to provide the most compact and eiiicient two-student study desk possible.

The construct-ion and arrangement of the desk are such as to provide a maximum of practicable desk facilities for each student, the facilities being incorporated into the desk in positions most convenient for the students use.

One object of the invention is to provide for maximum use of desk top space. This is accomplished by seating the students diagonally across the desk from one another thus permitting each student free use of the complete desk top opposite his chair.. From the standpoint of health this feature is advantageous in that the two students are not breathing directly in one anothers faces, as opposed to conventional desks at which the students sit directly opposite one another.

Another object of the invention is to provide a two-student desk wherein a single study lamp may be used with the desk to provide scientically correct lighting for both students. This object is desirable not only for its purpose of eliminating eyestrain resulting from improper lighting but v also for purposes of economy in eliminating the This objecty with a third outlet being provided in the center portion of the desk top. The use of this center outlet in conjunction with the study lamp will eliminate trailing wire from the lamp over the surface of. the desk. Wear and breakage of study lamps resulting from moving the lamps will be reduced considerably by virtue of the elimination of the trailing wire from the study lamp and by virtue of the fact that correct lighting for both students from the single lamp will depend upon the lamps being left permanently on the center of the desk top.

Another object of this invention is to provide both students withk an ample amount of readily accessible book shelf space. Prior students desks have been provided with book shelves at the desk ends, but this location is objectionable, particularly during study involving the use of many reference books, in that the student must leave his seat and walk around to the end of the desk in order to select a book, This objection is obviated in the present invention by providing a set of shelves for each student, his shelves being located on his side of the desk and immediately adjacent to his position at the desk so that the books therein are within his sight and his easy reach.

Another object of the invention is to provide a desk which will, while retaining its full eiciency, conserve floor space in the students room where iloor space is limited to a bare minimum. This object has been attained in the invention by arranging the book shelves and the knee space so as to leave either end of the desk free to be placed immediately adjacent a wall of the room. The

location of the desk against a wall is obviously not feasible with desks having book shelves at both ends. In one prior desk, the problem of conserving oor space was solved Vby sacrificing one set of book shelves. However, the resulting desk suiered both in appearance and eiiiciency by reason of the amputation, and the solution was proved to be unsatisfactory in relation to the over-all problem.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a separate desk drawer for each student. This object has been attained in the invention, separate drawers being provided either above the book shelves to the left of each student, or/` as shown in the drawing, above the knee space directly in front of each student.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, reference bein'.r had to the accompanying drawing wherein one embodiment of the invention is shown. It is to be understood that the description and the drawing are illustrative only, and are not to be taken as limiting the invention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of one side of the desk of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the desk; and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the desk.

The desk of the present invention may be constructed of any material suitable for use in desks such as wood, metal, or various plastics.

Referring now to the drawing, my improved desk has a rectangular top 5 of a size sumcient 3 to provide a desk with the presently to be described features and facilities. As the desk is symmetrical about a center line transverse to the long dimension of the desk top, with one half of the desk being reversed in direction with respect to the other half, only one desk half will be described in detail. 'I'he right hand half of Figs. 1 and 2 will be described.

This portion of the desk has supports or legs E and 1 associated with top 5, and it may have legs 8 and 9, the latter two legs being located at the center of the desk sides and cooperating to support the left desk half. A transverse member I0, extending between legs 6 and 3 a spaced distance below top 5, cooperates with members (not shown) to support a sliding drawer i3 immediately under the top. A suitable handle or knob I4 is provided for opening and closing the drawer.

The space I6 below top 5 and drawer i3 serves as knee space for the student who normally sits facing the right half of the desk.

Structural transverse members 23 and 2I extend between the lower portions of legs 6 and l, and legs 8 and 9, respectively, and a panel 22 may, if desired, extend between member 20 and desk top to enclose the desk end. Similarly, a panel 23 may extend between member 2| and the desk top.

As best shown in Fig. 2, drawer I3 preferably is somewhat shorter in length than the desk width. Accordingly, when the drawer is fully closed, a substantialv space at the rear of the desk be utilized for radios, razors, clocks, or any other desired electrical appliances, thus to enhance the usefulness and convenience of the desk. The center outlet for the lamp eliminates an otherwise trailing lamp wire from the desk top. The electrical wiring for these outlets is not shown, and it is contemplated that any suitable wiring may be used.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and advantages of this inventionwill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Various changes and modioations may be made without departing from the spirit or losing the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A students study desk comprising a substantially rectangular desk top, supports for said top, the space below a portion of one half of said top being knee room for the student on one side of said desk land the space below a portion of the other half of said top being knee room for the student on the other side of said desk,`and a set of shelves on each side of the desk, each set being adjacent to the knee room opening on that side of the desk and at the rear of the knee room of the other side of the desk, the front of each set of shelves being disposed on a desk side in a generally common plane with the front of the knee room opening on that desk side.

2. A students study desk comprising a substantially rectangular desk top, supports for said half is unoccupied by drawer I3. This below the top space and the space below are utilized for a set of book shelves, a lower shelf 25 and an upper shelf 26 being provided. A panel 21 extends from desk top 5 to shelf 25 at the rear of the shelves to provide a partition between knee space I6 and the shelves, and also to provide a back for the shelves.

If desired, drawer I3 may extend the width of the desk top, in which case the back of the drawer reduces the height of the top book shelf to that extent. With this construction, the drawer may be modied to slide in the opposite direction, thus to serves the student sitting across the desk by providing a. drawer conveniently situated at his left.

The construction could be further modified by providing a comparatively short drawer in each book shelf to open out of the plane of the book shelf. Such a `construction provides increased knee space for each student without sacrificing convenience in drawer location.

Corresponding prime numbers are used on the drawing to designate certain corresponding elements on the left half of thev desk. As will be seen from the drawings, the left hali of the desk isreversed in direction from that of the other half. Thus the book shelves 25 and 26 are immediately adjacent the knee room opening for the student sitting in front of the left half of the desk. Similarly, the book shelves 25 and 26 are adjacent and thus convenient to the student sitting at the right half.

The desk could readily be modied in an obvious manner to provide illumination from the accommodate left-handed vided in the center portion of desk top 5 (for top, a drawer below said top on each side of the desk, the width of each drawer being substantially half the length of said top with each drawer underlying a half of said top, and a set of book shelves below said top on each side of the desk, each set of shelves being disposed along a desk side adjacent a drawer, the front of each set of shelves being disposed on a desk side in a generally common plane with the front of the drawer on that desk side.

3. A students study desk comprising a substantially rectangular desk top, supports for said top, the space below a portion of one half of said top being knee room for the student on one side of said desk and the space below a portion of the other half of said top being knee room for the student on the other side of said desk, and a book shelf on each side of the desk, each book shelf being Aadjacent to the knee room opening on that side of the desk and at the rear of the knee room of the other side of the desk, the front of each -book shelf being disposed on a desk' side in a gen- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent;

UNITED STATES PA'I'EN'rs Number Name Date D. 140,514 Myers Mar. 6, 1945 1,100,983 Miles June 23, 19'14 1,473,191 Levin Nov. 6, 1923 1,780,287 Wheeler Nov. 4, 1930 2,040,432 Dieman May 12, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 477,917 Germany June 15,1929 

